Thanks, Edna, Annette, and Schoolhouse. We have had the two boys since Sunday, and I haven't had a lot of time to post anything since I put the pics on. Their mom and dad will be home today, so life will be back to normal for us. Less rich, but normal. Glenda, thank you, too. The plum and pear trees came with the property and are all that's left of a farm that was here many years ago. We have two different kinds of pears, but you won't be surprised when I tell you that we don't know what they are. One is earlier and the pears are good if you catch them at just the right time. There used to be a second plum tree here and we got some plums until it got so decrepit I had to take it down. The one left is now pretty but fruitless. GGG - I can't take a smidgen of credit for growing any of the fruit. The only thing I do is prune the trees every couple of years and they do the rest. Because I don't spray, a lot of the apples are not usable, but I can usually find plenty to make batches of fall applesauce. Thank you for thinking the pics are gorgeous! Yes, Caroline, we love our spot in the country. That was a cool video of your son picking apples. TM

Thanks for the nice words Jon, Ken, and Rick. Yeah, I know I planted them rather close. I'm coming around to the viewpoint that it'll be easier to move them in a few years than it would be to maintain them in containers over the same period. Container maintenance becomes a bit much (for me, at least) above a hundred container plants, and a major goal was to get a lot of plants into the ground. I'm planning for the next several years, not the next several decades like some of you folks. I don't mind moving them when the time comes, and I'll have more space opened up by then. Call it planting at the Fletcher density...well maybe not that close :o). I buy the pine bark nuggets by the bag; they're not available in bulk around here. Local garden centers and big box stores have them for ~$2.5-3.5 for a 2 cubic ft bag, so it comes out to a little bit more than bulk mulch delivered. It's worth it IMO for the aesthetic value and also for its greater longevity - the nuggets will last much longer than shredded hardwood mulch, which needs to be replaced every year or two. A side benefit is that its much faster to apply mulch from bags. -Alex

Thanks for the pics! I saw a scape and trying to open blossom cluster on a Hosta out there this morning as well. Strange fall. Happy Trails, HH

Thanks. It's been in the ground for 4 summers now, going on it's 3rd winter. I wrap a strand of rope lights around it and cover with a lattice structure with a giant plastic bag over to keep it dry. Same method I protect my trachys with, but they don't grow nearly as fast. I had the lower half of leaves trimmed off this spring to show off 3 feet of clear trunk, but it regrew so many new leaves.